September 28, 2012

I love broccoli but I will be the first to admit that regular steamed broccoli can be boring and sometimes unappetizing. This recipe transforms that green cruciferous veggie into a bright and tasty dish that is anything but boring.

To begin, cut a fresh head of broccoli into florets leaving just short stems. Steam the broccoli for 7-10 minutes or until it is fork tender but still bright green and not mushy.

While your broccoli is steaming, start on the “bright” ingredients. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and toast ¼ cup pine nuts until just brown. Be sure to keep an eye on the pine nuts as they can burn easily. They will take about 4-6 minutes to toast.

While the pine nuts toast, start making the dressing. In a small bowl, add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice (about half of a lemon squeezed), three-quarters of a cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of julienned fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the dressing until it is combined. Set aside.

Pour your steamed broccoli in a large serving bowl and pour dressing over the top. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and fresh grated pecorino cheese. For kids who like heat, toss the bright broccoli with a little bit of red pepper flakes, which help to speed up the metabolism. For those who don’t like heat, leave the red pepper out! Serve this tasty broccoli as a side dish, or as a stand-alone snack!

We at HSC are excited that thousands of new volunteers, educators and students are set to become involved in advocating for healthier learning places. Learn more about projects in your area and sign up here.

September 26, 2012

Carla Tantillo leads a yoga exercise for teachers as part of HSC's Fit to Learn professional development program

This post is the first part of a Q&A with Carla Tantillo, owner/founder of Mindful Practices, author of Cooling Down Your Classroom, and a frequent facilitator in HSC's Fit to Learn professional development program. A former teacher in the Chicago Public School system, Carla has experience working with youth from low-income communities. Both her private yoga practice and her occupation as an educator inspired Carla to start a business that combines her two passions. Now she works closely with Chicago schools, demonstrating how to incorporate mindfulness techniques into the regular school day.

How did you become interested in mindfulness?

It happened as a result of my yoga practice. I hadn’t thought about mindfulness truly and really until I started practicing yoga, and I noticed the energy that I was bringing to my mat. And this is just my personal practice, prior to when I started the business. I think it’s really interesting when in the beginning, you learn the poses and you feel like, "Okay! I’ve got this down, I know how to do triangle. I’m in, next!" But it’s not just about getting your body into the actual yoga poses... how you’re moving to and from the pose has almost as much importance as the asana itself. Are you taking necessary steps between poses? You notice these pieces, at least for me, because you are confined to this mat.

And then you notice how it translates to how you are when you are at the grocery store. How you are walking through the store? If you're in a hurry, what energy are you putting out there? And how you reach for that box of tea, how does that energy affect the person who’s just kind of strolling through the store, kind of browsing the tea? I noticed it for myself with my own physical movements, and how those physical movements impact the integrity of the action—whether it’s grocery shopping, whether it’s a yoga pose, whether it’s writing—and the quality of the action. So that’s how it began for me on a personal level.

Why is mindfulness so important for the modern classroom?

Because we are producing -- not intentionally, but -- we are producing angry adults as a society. We’re producing adults who feel powerless and out of control, and often it is something that is overlooked in their elementary and secondary school education. It's the ability to control one’s behavior for one’s own sake.

So, when I’m a classroom teacher, I want my students to settle down, and calm down, and cool down because I have a lesson that needs to be taught. So, my objective is teaching my lesson on Haiku poetry. But, should there be a different objective? Should the objective be that I want that student to be empowered to cool themselves down for their own sake? Not because of my lesson, but because I need to teach them these tools. These are lifelong learning tools they need to be successful adults. Often, no one teaches students not only the techniques of mindfulness relaxation (breathing, perhaps yoga), but also models it for them and practices it with them.

If that’s not happening in the classroom with the same amount of fervor as practicing multiplication tables, then how do we expect an adult to be able to access that when needed? So, if I ask you right now "What’s three times five?" you would spit out fifteen, and you wouldn’t even know why. With the knowledge of multiplication tables, the practice was drilled into you because someone somewhere said, "That’s a really important ability to have." We need to prioritize students’ social and emotional learning and wellness with that same amount of integrity and practice. We need to see this as a skill that’s necessary for adults to have.

Thanks to Carla for sharing her experience; stay posted for the next in this series on mindfulness in the classroom.

Plus! Hear from Carla and other Fit to Learn
facilitators on mindfulness, yoga and physical activity in the classroom in this segment from WGN News:

For an example of a classroom exercise that focuses on mindfulness, check out this post.

September 25, 2012

On Friday, November 9, you're invited to join Healthy Schools Campaign for the most meaningful meal you'll have all year. At Cooking up Change Chicago, HSC's flagship healthy cooking contest and annual benefit, teams of Chicago high school students will show you their vision for the future of school food. Students compete to create a healthy, great-tasting school meal on a tight budget, then present those meals to a panel of judges that includes the city's top chefs.

You'll meet the student chefs, sample the creative and healthy dishes they've created and go home with a new perspective on school food -- and on what teenagers can do. The winning team will travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals and present their meal to Congress at a briefing on school food policy.

Guests at Cooking up Change will also raise a glass and enjoy seasonal samples from Chicago’s leading caterers while taking in unparalleled views of the Chicago skyline from the Skyline Loft at the Bridgeport Art Center, a stunning event space with soaring ceilings and historic details.

This flagship Chicago competition launches a series of competitions across the country throughout the winter and spring.

With limited ingredient lists, tight deadlines and real-life constraints, students in Cooking up Change are re-writing the recipe for school food. We invite you to be part of the excitement!

September 21, 2012

Lizzy Parker is a junior at Colorado College and a Certified
Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
As an intern at HSC, she enjoys sharing her
enthusiasm for and knowledge about physical activity—and, that it can be
fun!

Knowing the importance of physical activity sometimes isn’t enough to get us moving. Sometimes we need to feel as if we have a responsibility
to stay active. Community engagement is a great way to get in some
physical activity with the family while also being a good role model to
your kids.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to get active in the
community:

Adopt-a-beach:
research local opportunities to volunteer maintaining your local
beaches. If you are in the Great Lakes area, you can find more
information here.

Adopt-a-park:
like the beach, neighborhood parks need community volunteers to keep
them in good condition. A quick search should help you find
opportunities in your area. Chicago folk: get involved here.

Trail maintenance:
trails across the U.S. from national parks to forest preserves are
often kept up by volunteers. Depending on the site, you could get a
serious workout. Find trails in your area that could use some help.

Community gardening:
if you don’t have a yard—or do but don’t have enough sun—a community
garden is a wonderful way to put your green thumb to use. Plus, growing
fruits and veggies with your kids might make them more open to trying
new foods. Check out the community garden database to find local plots.

Bonus: By now, I am sure you are familiar with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!
Campaign. But, you might not know that the campaign has partnered with
museums and gardens across the country to provide free fitness-oriented
activities for kids and parents. Check to see what’s happening in your area!

September 20, 2012

This post is the first in a series spotlighting teen advocates, youth leaders who speak up about school wellness and envrironmental issues that affect them most. Thanks to HSC intern Christine Andersen, who is beginning her senior year of high school, for this post!

Francisco Figuero is a high school student with a passion for fitness -- and several years ago, he decided to share that energy with his school. Francisco began inviting friends and classmates to exercise together, with the goal of helping more people experience the benefits of physical activity. Over time, his workout groups became a hit with students throughout the school, including many who had never been interested in exercise. Building on this energy, Francisco talked to school leaders about boosting the school's wellness environment. Through his involvement with Mikva Challenge, Francisco went on to create a Youth Wellness Team that helps create a healthy environment at his school. Kudos to Francisco for his work to promote wellness!

What methods are you using to raise awareness and rally support for health and wellness?When I tried to rally support from the principal, I told him that our school had a high obesity rate and that it would help the school’s reputation if health became a priority. The most success, however, came from working directly with the students. I started exercising with a few groups of kids, and many other students saw what I was doing and liked the idea. So, more and more groups of kids joined in.

How did people react when you began advocating for wellness? The idea did seem crazy at first to some, which is why I went after certain groups of kids to start a trend. These kids were able to influence the rest of the student body and show them that living a healthy lifestyle was not a weird thing to do. Over time, these values spread throughout different groups of friends.

What adults have inspired you along the way? What teens have inspired you along the way?My parents and stepparents all came from military backgrounds, so an exercise-intensive lifestyle was natural for me. They inspired me to continue to promote this lifestyle. Later on, the rest of my football team helped me by teaching me more about healthy eating, which was never as big of a focus for me as exercise. Mikva helped me a lot by giving me feasible ideas such as starting a Youth Wellness Team at my school.

What challenges did you face? How did you overcome these challenges?The greatest challenge was finding peers to help. I started with a few kids, mainly my friends, and we started exercising together. It was important to stay connected with other groups of people to spread our message. Over time, other groups of friends began joining together.

What do you hope to do in this area in the future? What is your next step?In college, I will study psychology and sociology. I hope to continue to help myself lead a healthy lifestyle. I also hope to continue to advocate for health and wellness at my college.

September 18, 2012

Ashley
Hofmann is completing the final practicum to earn her Masters of Social Work
from the University of Missouri. Her academic research focuses on disparities
in access to health care and how policy can act as a catalyst for social
justice.

What if you changed just ten percent of your food habits? Would you eat more organics, buy food with less packaging, get eggs from a local grower or cook at home more often? If 10 cents of every dollar you spent on food was shifted to healthier, more sustainable choices, what kind of impact would that make – on your health, the economy, the environment?

These are the questions behind a new documentary called Food Patriots, which I first heard about at an institute on food access around the world presented by the University of Chicago's Center for International Studies, followed by a dialogue with filmmaker Jeff Spitz.

The goal behind the film is to spark a conversation about our individual purchasing power as consumers of food.

The choices we make in (and out) of the supermarket drive the food industry and determine what is available, both physically on the shelf and financially at an affordable price. The idea is that growers, manufacturers, and retailers respond to market demands. Consider the example of something as simple as ketchup: if today we all stopped buying ketchup with high-fructose corn syrup in it, for example, not only would the ketchup recipe change, but companies would also purchase less corn from large agribusinesses, which in turn could open up markets for farmers who grow produce for human consumption. The list of examples goes on and on: increased consumer demand could increase our access to chicken raised without antibiotics, recycled packaging, food with fewer additives and fillers and much more. Where would you start?

The film urges consumers to find out where their food comes from and how healthy it is, using the mantra, "It's not rude to ask about food!"

As individuals, each of us can make a small 10-percent change. As a whole, we can drive changes in industry, the economy, and the health of our planet, our children, and ourselves.

Not sure how to get started changing your food habits? The film’s website has 10 great suggestions that are easy and practical first steps. Here are a few other resources to get you thinking about the power of your dollar:

Also, take a moment and head over to the Food Patriots web site to see the film trailer, join the effort, and watch member videos showing changes they are making in their communities. And be on the lookout for the documentary’s release in January!

September 17, 2012

This
month, we’re seeing our nation’s school nutrition community take an
important step in the process of re-envisioning school food. With the
start of the new school year, schools across the country are
implementing new USDA nutrition standards
that reflect a movement to transform our nation’s school lunch program
from one that supplies calories to a generation of under-nourished
children to one that focuses on providing nutrient-rich meals for a
generation of children facing high rates of obesity and related
illnesses.

This
is an important step in a larger movement that has been underway for
more than a decade. It’s not perfect and not without challenges, but
it’s an incredibly valuable step forward for kids’ health.

When
the national school lunch program was created in 1945, it was seen in
part as a measure of national security. Military leaders, concerned
about the number of young men who were too malnourished for military
service, called upon the nation to make sure that students received
proper nutrition. This drive shaped many of the program’s details, such
as the fact that school lunches were required to provide a minimum
number of calories but had no upper limit on calories. The program was
designed with the primary goal of making absolutely sure that students
got enough to eat.

Today, we are facing a different set of challenges. Sixty-plus years after the school lunch program began, military leaders again urged schools to make changes
to their food program out of concern for the number of young men and
women who were facing serious health problems, this time as a result of
overweight and obesity. The military leaders joined parents, educators,
medical experts and others in calling for school meals to focus not on
increasing children’s calorie intake but instead on providing healthy,
nutrient-dense food that is lacking in many kids’ diets, foods such as
fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

For
the past decade, we’ve seen a shift in the way our country thinks about
school food and we’ve seen an effort to answer the call for healthy
changes. The USDA, the primary funder of school food, has been working
to re-engineer its program from one that focuses on delivering calories
to one that focuses on the type of nutrition that today’s generation of
children needs.

This effort has been surrounded by activity from across sectors -- we’ve seen the growth of the farm to school
movement, a requirement for schools to develop wellness policies, even
money for school kitchen facilities in the federal stimulus funding.
More recently, we’ve seen programs like Food Corps,
which engages recent college graduates in helping kids learn about
healthy food with school gardens and nutrition education. First Lady
Michelle Obama has brought great energy and attention to the issue with
her Let’s Move
initiative. And of course, schools across the country began making
changes to transform their programs and focus on healthier school meals.

The 2010 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act,
the bill that provides funding and sets policy for school food, brought
federal changes that reflect the direction of this movement --
including the new nutrition standards going into effect this month.

The bill required the USDA to update its nutrition standards
for school food for the first time in fifteen years and tied an
increase in funding (about six cents per meal) to these improvements.
These updates are based in current nutrition science and in an
understanding of the health needs of today’s generation of children.
These are the standards that we’re seeing in action in schools this
month.

What
do the new standards look like? They bring a whole set of sensible
healthy changes -- providing more fruits and vegetables, making sure
that more of the vegetables are the nutrient-rich dark green and orange
type, serving more whole grains, adjusting portion sizes and, for the
first time, setting a limit on the number of calories schools may
include in one lunch. These new standards aren’t perfect, but they are
an important and valuable step forward. The standards are part of our
nation’s journey to re-envision school food that began more than a
decade ago and will surely continue for years to come.

We’ve
heard from school nutrition directors that the standards bring new
challenges for reporting and that many are still working through
implementation. Others report that the changes they have made over the
last few years have positioned them well to put the new standards in
action. Tight funding has for many years been a real problem for school
food programs, and that continues to be the case.

Successfully
changing a food program at the school level often means providing
nutrition education so that students have a positive reaction to the
changes. All of us -- advocates, parents, school nutrition leaders --
have a role to play in working through these challenges and helping make
this new vision for school food a healthy reality for our nation’s
children.

September 14, 2012

Need a new idea for a healthy breakfast? My friend made this for me for breakfast one morning and I thought it was so delicious and clever -- and it only took her about 15 minutes to whip up! It is fun to eat and, with lots of protein and nutrients, a great breakfast to start out the school day.

To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and then line the tins with a slice of turkey. (A good option is to look for organic turkey breast because it is free of antibiotics and nitrites.)

Once you have your tins lined, scoop a small amount of salsa in the bottom. After the salsa, crack one egg into each turkey “cup.” Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes or until the eggs have set. Pull the tin out of the oven and sprinkle with a little bit of crumbled feta or shredded mozzarella cheese. Put back in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted. The turkey cups should come cleanly out of the tins. The result is a delicious, protein rich breakfast to enjoy at home or take on the go!

September 12, 2012

This
week, we’re focusing on the new nutrition standards for school lunch!
Today, we’re happy to share a guest blog by Kevin Concannon, USDA Under
Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Check out
yesterday’s post for our new infographic on what the new standards will
mean for school lunch, and be sure to check back this week for more updates!

by Undersecretary Kevin Concannon

As
students head back to school this fall, they will find healthier and
more nutritious school meals that offer both fruits and vegetables every
day; substantially more whole grain-rich foods; only fat-free or
low-fat milk; calories based on the age of children being served to
ensure proper portion size; and increased focus on reducing sodium.

As
Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, I am
excited that the school day is now healthier for America’s young
people. Schools have always played a central role in the lives of our
children – and not just in the classroom.

Many
students eat two meals a day at school, making the quality of these
meals all the more important. It’s vital that we provide our youngsters
with healthy food choices that enable them to learn, grow, and thrive.

New
federal standards, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of
her Let’s Move! initiative, align school meals with the latest nutrition
science consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

To
make these changes successful, parents, school staff, and members of
the community need to get involved in inspiring and encouraging students
to eat healthy both at school and at home. Eat lunch with your
children at school, review the school menus with your children, try new
foods at home that are on the school menu, and convey the importance of
healthy eating to children.

Schools
will phase in the nutrition standards over a three-year period,
starting in school year 2012-2013. Schools will focus on changes in the
lunches in the first year, with most changes in breakfast to take place
in future years.

The
new meal requirements mark the first major changes in school meals in
more than a decade and will help raise a healthier generation of kids.
In short, these new measures do what’s right for the health of our
children, and do it in a responsible way that is achievable even in the
real-world circumstances of America’s schools.

In
addition to the new meal standards, other resources give schools the
opportunity to meet the challenge of providing healthier meals,
including:

Increased funding for schools – the first real increase in 30 years – tied to strong performance in serving improved meals.

Training and technical assistance to help schools achieve and monitor compliance.

These
improvements in school nutrition add up to a substantial investment in
the future of our children – and our nation. As President Obama has
said: “…if we want to win the future…then we also have to win the race
to educate our kids.”

No
child should have to learn on an empty stomach. All children should be
fueled by the healthiest, most nutritious food we can provide.

September 11, 2012

As
kids across the country head back to school this month, they’re finding
something new in the cafeteria: healthier school meals shaped by updated nutrition standards.
This year, the USDA updated the nutrition standards it sets for school
meals for the first time in more than 15 years. (For more on how these standards came about, check out HSC’s blog.)

What
do the new standards mean for the lunches kids see on their trays? The
highlights: more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and
age-appropriate portion sizes.

We’ve created a new infographic that shows the new standards in a simple format. Take a look and let us know what you think! Click the image below to check out the new infographic.

In
addition to the changes we’re seeing in the cafeteria this year, the
new nutrition standards include changes that schools can phase in over
the next several years. The years ahead will bring even more whole
grains (by 2014, all grains served in school lunch will be rich in whole
grains) and less sodium.

Throughout this week, we’ll be featuring more perspectives and insight on the new nutrition standards. Stay posted for more!

Plus: Share your tray!
The graphic HSC created represents one way the new nutrition standards
could be put in action. What do the new standards look like in your
school? Show us a picture of your school lunch! Tweet your photos to @healthyschools or tag Healthy Schools Campaign on Facebook.

September 07, 2012

Lizzy Parker is a junior at Colorado College and a Certified
Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
As an intern at HSC, she enjoys sharing her
enthusiasm for and knowledge about physical activity—and, that it can be
fun!

Let’s
be honest: sometimes the best exercise doesn’t feel like exercise at
all. This back-to-school season is a great time to enjoy the games that
got us moving as kids. The type of games we often associate with
recess or P.E. class are fun activities that can involve the entire
family with minimal equipment and set-up.

When you play, strive to
create a relaxed environment that focuses on being active and having fun
together rather than on extreme competition. Invite friends and
neighbors along and make an event out of it! These games are simple,
yet enjoyable for all ages:

Basketball

Softball

Frisbee

Tag football

Kickball

Soccer

Freeze tag

Volleyball

. . . and the participants' own favorite games! Take turns selecting a favorite to play next.

In
an effort to keep everyone moving -- and keep with the fun recess
spirit -- set up exercise stations for players on the sidelines.
Provide jump ropes, hula hoops, and sidewalk chalk. Or, invite everyone to rotate between different movements on the sideline -- for example: balancing on one foot or doing jumping jacks.

Most important: enjoy the time together and have fun!

Games from recess and P.E. class offer a fun way to get active with family, friends and neighbors! Here, students play soccer during a physical activity break with a coach from Urban Initiatives.

September 05, 2012

Ashley
Hofmann is completing the final practicum to earn her Masters of Social Work
from the University of Missouri. Her academic research focuses on disparities
in access to health care and how policy can act as a catalyst for social
justice.

My food philosophy is “out of sight, out of mind” – if I
don’t have cookies in my kitchen, I’m less likely to eat them. A new study
shows that the same principle applies to schools as well. The study found that students in states with
strong nutrition standards for snacks gained less weight than their
counterparts residing in states with weak standards or no standards at all.

States were placed into two categories based on laws
regulating snack and a la carte items sold in schools, also known as competitive
foods. (Click here
for a recent blog on the USDA’s proposed rules regulating snacks in schools.) The researchers monitored the BMI of 6,300
students in 40 states between 2004 and 2007, as they progressed from fifth to
eighth grade. The results showed that over
the four years, students living in states with strong nutrition laws gained 0.44
fewer BMI units, which is about 2.25 pounds for a 5-foot, 100-lb child. While this may seem like a small number, it’s
actually quite significant -- imagine the effect of gaining or not gaining an
extra two pounds every year!

While this is new and important information, the study is
not saying that the laws are directly responsible for the decreased weight
gain, only that there is a correlation. Many
child health experts believe that these types of school nutrition polices are a
key step in the right direction when it comes to creating environments that
support health. These policies also reinforce
healthy messages students get through nutrition education and help students
develop good eating habits. As Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at
Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, pointed out, “What are
the downsides of improving the food environment for children today?"

Something we see consistently at HSC is that policies, such
as the state laws in this study, really do make a difference in student health.
Without them, progress is limited to
situations where a parent or teacher not only is passionate about healthy food,
but also has the motivation, time, and resources to actually make it a
priority. Strong school nutrition laws, along
with the assistance and incentives that can come with them, provide schools
with a foundation on which to build health-promoting environments.

The good news is that we’re starting to see more strong
policies that support student health. Proposed
recommendations in a recent Institute
of Medicine report, along with higher nutrition standards in the Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act, are putting more emphasis on the role of government,
both federal and local, in creating environments where health is a priority and
making the healthy choice the easy choice.

Dr. Daniel Taber, an author of the study and fellow at the
Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at
Chicago, said that nutrition standards are most effective when they “are specific,
required and consistent.” Strong language
is an important factor for school food laws to be implemented and have a
meaningful impact, but so is the support of parents, teachers, and school
administrators. Here
is a handy guide from the CDC that discusses ways for parents, teachers, and
staff to support healthier school food options.

Does your state or school district have polices for snack
foods sold in schools? If so, how do
they shape the wellness environment?

Plus: Take a look at this
infographic, designed for the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative, which shows snack options in school vending
machines across the country.

September 04, 2012

Exciting news! Healthy Schools Campaign has been nominated for the 2012 Aetna Voices of Health Awards, which means we're being honored as one of the nation's top community health organizations. In particular, our Parents United for Healthy Schools coalition is in the spotlight! We're thrilled to receive this recognition and excited about the opportunity to let more people know about the amazing work parents are doing to create healthy environments at school -- and health futures for children -- in many of Chicago's Latino and African-American communities.

Please take a moment to show your support by heading to the Voices of Health site and voting for HSC! With each vote, we'll get that much closer to being named the winner and an award of $30,000, which will go a long way in bringing programs like Parents United to even more people.

Check out HSC's video and cast your vote online here. You can vote up to 10 times!

Plus: This summer, Parents United received national recognition for success in promoting healthy school environments and engaging parents in advocating for wellness as a social justice issue. Learn more about Parents United here!

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